scholarly journals The age and origin of the Pacific islands: a geological overview

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1508) ◽  
pp. 3293-3308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent E Neall ◽  
Steven A Trewick
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Fracture Origin ◽  
Linear Chains ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Juan De Fuca ◽  
Lithospheric Plates ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Volcanic Islands

The Pacific Ocean evolved from the Panthalassic Ocean that was first formed ca 750 Ma with the rifting apart of Rodinia. By 160 Ma, the first ocean floor ascribed to the current Pacific plate was produced to the west of a spreading centre in the central Pacific, ultimately growing to become the largest oceanic plate on the Earth. The current Nazca, Cocos and Juan de Fuca (Gorda) plates were initially one plate, produced to the east of the original spreading centre before becoming split into three. The islands of the Pacific have originated as: linear chains of volcanic islands on the above plates either by mantle plume or propagating fracture origin, atolls, uplifted coralline reefs, fragments of continental crust, obducted portions of adjoining lithospheric plates and islands resulting from subduction along convergent plate margins. Out of the 11 linear volcanic chains identified, each is briefly described and its history summarized. The geology of 10 exemplar archipelagos (Japan, Izu-Bonin, Palau, Solomons, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Society, Galápagos and Hawaii) is then discussed in detail.

scholarly journals Predicting bycatch hotspots for endangered leatherback turtles on longlines in the Pacific Ocean

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1777) ◽  
pp. 20132559 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Roe ◽  
Stephen J. Morreale ◽  
Frank V. Paladino ◽  
George L. Shillinger ◽  
Scott R. Benson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Leatherback Turtles ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Fisheries Bycatch ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Nesting Beaches

Fisheries bycatch is a critical source of mortality for rapidly declining populations of leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea . We integrated use-intensity distributions for 135 satellite-tracked adult turtles with longline fishing effort to estimate predicted bycatch risk over space and time in the Pacific Ocean. Areas of predicted bycatch risk did not overlap for eastern and western Pacific nesting populations, warranting their consideration as distinct management units with respect to fisheries bycatch. For western Pacific nesting populations, we identified several areas of high risk in the north and central Pacific, but greatest risk was adjacent to primary nesting beaches in tropical seas of Indo-Pacific islands, largely confined to several exclusive economic zones under the jurisdiction of national authorities. For eastern Pacific nesting populations, we identified moderate risk associated with migrations to nesting beaches, but the greatest risk was in the South Pacific Gyre, a broad pelagic zone outside national waters where management is currently lacking and may prove difficult to implement. Efforts should focus on these predicted hotspots to develop more targeted management approaches to alleviate leatherback bycatch.

Satellite Detection of Ghost Nets and Plastic Debris in Pacific Atolls

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangrong Ling ◽  
Lauren Biermann ◽  
Mark Manuel ◽  
Ellen Ramirez ◽  
Austin Coates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Science Center ◽  
Spectral Angle Mapper ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Fisheries Science ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Derelict Fishing Gear ◽  
Satellite Analysis

<p><span>Since 2014, the NOAA Satellite Analysis Branch has used high resolution optical satellite imagery in an effort to detect ghost nets (derelict fishing gear) and other large plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean and its atolls in support of clean-up efforts (by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ocean Voyages Institute, etc.). Until recently, reliable detection has proven challenging. With the application of Worldview imagery matched to <em>in situ</em> information on known net locations, we have been able to extract spectral signatures of floating plastics and use these to detect and identify other instances of plastic debris. Using ENVI’s Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) target detection method, a number of likely locations of nets/plastics in the Pearl and Hermes atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) were highlighted. The resulting locations of the 41 debris detections were strikingly similar to the distributions along the coast reported in surveys, and are consistent with those that would be expected due to the seasonal ocean currents. This satellite imagery analysis procedure will be repeated shortly before the next NWHI clean-up effort, which will better enable us to support the removal of ghost nets and other marine plastics, and also assess the accuracy and rapid reproducibility of the technique.</span></p>

The World’s Oldest Tsunami Victim at the Gateway to the Pacific—and Beyond

Tsunami ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
James Goff ◽  
Walter Dudley
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Mass Graves ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Settlement Abandonment

The 1998 Papua New Guinea tsunami was a significant puzzle for scientists who finally cracked the cause, but it also marks the most recent event of many that can be dated back to at least 6,000 years ago where the skull of the oldest tsunami victim in the world was found. Papua New Guinea was also the starting point for the most remarkable navigational feat in the world, with Polynesians moving rapidly east into the Pacific Ocean, their settlement of the region being punctuated by hiatuses caused by catastrophic tsunamis approximately 3,000, 2,000, and 600 years ago. It was on isolated Pacific islands that humans first came into contact with the deadly Pacific Ring of Fire. Settlement abandonment, mass graves, and cultural collapse mark their progress.

scholarly journals Spinal Anaesthesia for Caesarean Section in the Solomon Islands

1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Sparks ◽  
H. Perndt ◽  
K. Agiomea ◽  
J. Fa'Arondo
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Caesarean Section ◽  
Spinal Anaesthesia ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
General Anaesthetic ◽  
Tropical Country ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Results were kept on 43 spinal anaesthetics performed for caesarean section in the Solomon Islands, a developing tropical country in the Pacific Ocean. A 25-gauge Quincke needle was used and either 2.5 ml of heavy bupivacaine 0.5% or 2.0-2.5 ml of plain bupivacaine 0.5% were injected. Hypotension down to 85 mmHg occurred in four patients and there were no spinal headaches. Five patients had to be given a general anaesthetic. We recommend this technique to other doctors working in the Pacific Islands.

New sciaphilic plakinids (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha) from the Central-Western Pacific

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4466 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANAÍRA LAGE ◽  
GUILHERME MURICY ◽  
CÉSAR RUIZ ◽  
THIERRY PÉREZ
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Marquesas Islands ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Submarine Caves

The sponge class Homoscleromorpha is a key model for the evolutionary biology of the Metazoa but its diversity remains poorly known. Here we describe six new species of the homoscleromorph family Plakinidae found in shaded habitats (submarine caves, tunnels and overhangs) of New Caledonia and Marquesas Islands, Central-Western Pacific. The new species belong to four genera: Corticium (Corticium vaceleti sp. nov.), Plakina (Plakina finispinata sp. nov.), Plakinastrella (Plakinastrella osculifera sp. nov., Plakinastrella nicoleae sp. nov. and Plakinastrella pseudolopha sp. nov.), and Plakortis (Plakortis ruetzleri sp. nov.). Plakinastrella pseudolopha sp. nov. has a novel spicule type called here ‘pseudolophose spicules’. The diversity of Homoscleromorpha is raised to 50 species in the Pacific Ocean and 120 spp. worldwide. 

scholarly journals Antibiotic Resistance in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A Systematic Scoping Review

Antibiotics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Foxlee ◽  
Nicola Townell ◽  
Lachlan McIver ◽  
Colleen Lau
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Future Policy

Several studies have investigated antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries, but to date little attention has been paid to the Pacific Islands Countries and Territories (PICTs). This study aims to review the literature on antibiotic resistance (ABR) in healthcare settings in PICTs to inform further research and future policy development for the region. Following the PRISMA-ScR checklist health databases and grey literature sources were searched. Three reviewers independently screened the literature for inclusion, data was extracted using a charting tool and the results were described and synthesised. Sixty-five studies about ABR in PICTs were identified and these are primarily about New Caledonia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Ten PICTs contributed the remaining 21 studies and nine PICTs were not represented. The predominant gram-positive pathogen reported was community-acquired methicillin resistant S. aureus and the rates of resistance ranged widely (>50% to <20%). Resistance reported in gram-negative pathogens was mainly associated with healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing K. pneumoniae isolates were reported in New Caledonia (3.4%) and Fiji (22%) and carbapenem resistant A. baumannii (CR-ab) isolates in the French Territories (24.8%). ABR is a problem in the PICTs, but the epidemiology requires further characterisation. Action on strengthening surveillance in PICTs needs to be prioritised so strategies to contain ABR can be fully realised.

scholarly journals Isolation of Tellurite- and Selenite-Resistant Bacteria from Hydrothermal Vents of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 4613-4622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Rathgeber ◽  
Natalia Yurkova ◽  
Erko Stackebrandt ◽  
J. Thomas Beatty ◽  
Vladimir Yurkov
Keyword(s):  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Juan De Fuca Ridge ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Ocean Water ◽  
Bacterial Films ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Juan De Fuca ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Reducing Bacteria

ABSTRACT Deep-ocean hydrothermal-vent environments are rich in heavy metals and metalloids and present excellent sites for the isolation of metal-resistant microorganisms. Both metalloid-oxide-resistant and metalloid-oxide-reducing bacteria were found. Tellurite- and selenite-reducing strains were isolated in high numbers from ocean water near hydrothermal vents, bacterial films, and sulfide-rich rocks. Growth of these isolates in media containing K2TeO3 or Na2SeO3 resulted in the accumulation of metallic tellurium or selenium. The MIC of K2TeO3 ranged from 1,500 to greater than 2,500 μg/ml, and the MIC of Na2SeO3 ranged from 6,000 to greater than 7,000 μg/ml for 10 strains. Phylogenetic analysis of 4 of these 10 strains revealed that they form a branch closely related to members of the genus Pseudoalteromonas, within the γ-3 subclass of the Proteobacteria. All 10 strains were found to be salt tolerant, pH tolerant, and thermotolerant. The metalloid resistance and morphological, physiological, and phylogenetic characteristics of newly isolated strains are described.

Tabanidae of the Samoan Islands

1927 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eustace W. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Family ◽  
New Hebrides ◽  
The Phoenix

So far no species of this family of Diptera have been described or recorded from the Samoan Islands. The acquisition of a species of Tabanus by Dr. P. A. Buxton and Mr. G. H. E. Hopkins is therefore of great interest.The Tabanidae of the Pacific Islands undoubtedly form an eastward extension of the family from Papua through Melanesia to Fiji ; various species are known from the Solomons, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, the Loyalties and Fiji, but the family is unrecorded from Tonga or islands to the eastward of Samoa. The Tabanidae thus represent a Papuo-Melanesian element in the Polynesian fauna. It might be mentioned here that two species of Tabanus, T. sidneyensis and T. nigriventris, were described by Macquart from “ Sidney Island,” which has been supposed to be Sidney Island in the Phoenix group. This locality is certainly erroneous ; most of the Diptera described as coming from there are known now to be common Australian forms and these two species are in all probability also Australian. The only other species recorded from Polynesia proper is T. insularis, Walker, described from the Sandwich Islands ; this record is also certainly wrong, since the group is not known to occur in these islands, of which the fauna has been extensively collected.

scholarly journals Using Microwave Satellite Data to Assess Changes in Storminess over the Pacific Ocean

2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (8) ◽  
pp. 3214-3229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Kruk ◽  
Kyle Hilburn ◽  
John J. Marra
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Rain Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Increasing Trends

Abstract This study analyzes 25 years of Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) retrievals of rain rate and wind speed to assess changes in storminess over the open water of the Pacific Ocean. Changes in storminess are characterized by combining trends in both the statistically derived 95th percentile exceedance frequencies of rain rate and wind speed (i.e., extremes). Storminess is computed annually and seasonally, with further partitioning done by phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index and the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) index. Overall, rain-rate exceedance frequencies of 6–8 mm h−1 cover most of the western and central tropical Pacific, with higher values present around the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, and the northwest coast of Australia. Wind speed exceedance frequencies are a strong function of latitude, with values less (greater) than 12 m s−1 equatorward (poleward) of 30°N/S. Statistically significant increasing trends in rain rate were found in the western tropical Pacific near the Caroline Islands and the Solomon Islands, and in the extratropics from the Aleutian Islands down the coast along British Columbia and Washington State. Statistically significant increasing trends in wind speed are present in the equatorial central Pacific near Kiribati and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and in the extratropics along the west coast of the United States and Canada. Thus, while extreme rain and winds are both increasing across large areas of the Pacific, these areas are modulated according to the phase of ENSO and the PDO, and their intersection takes aim at specific locations.

scholarly journals Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: ecological corridor rather than barrier?

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1656) ◽  
pp. 447-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E Gill ◽  
T. Lee Tibbitts ◽  
David C Douglas ◽  
Colleen M Handel ◽  
Daniel M Mulcahy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Phenotypic Flexibility ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Flight Duration ◽  
Ecological Corridor ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Mountain ranges, deserts, ice fields and oceans generally act as barriers to the movement of land-dependent animals, often profoundly shaping migration routes. We used satellite telemetry to track the southward flights of bar-tailed godwits ( Limosa lapponica baueri ), shorebirds whose breeding and non-breeding areas are separated by the vast central Pacific Ocean. Seven females with surgically implanted transmitters flew non-stop 8117–11 680 km (10 153±1043 s.d.) directly across the Pacific Ocean; two males with external transmitters flew non-stop along the same corridor for 7008–7390 km. Flight duration ranged from 6.0 to 9.4 days (7.8±1.3 s.d.) for birds with implants and 5.0 to 6.6 days for birds with externally attached transmitters. These extraordinary non-stop flights establish new extremes for avian flight performance, have profound implications for understanding the physiological capabilities of vertebrates and how birds navigate, and challenge current physiological paradigms on topics such as sleep, dehydration and phenotypic flexibility. Predicted changes in climatic systems may affect survival rates if weather conditions at their departure hub or along the migration corridor should change. We propose that this transoceanic route may function as an ecological corridor rather than a barrier, providing a wind-assisted passage relatively free of pathogens and predators.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document